Productive Days Off – 5 Habits I (try to) Follow Habitually

One of my biggest challenges when I have a day off is what to do with my time. There are some days where I’ve taken the day off simply because I’m not feeling up to doing anything and those days I end up sitting at home, drinking tea and reading in the sunshine.

But there are other days when I want to be productive but I get overwhelmed with what I actually want to do. So I’ve developed ways to help combat the overwhelming feeling and actually accomplish something.

Sleep well and get up early. I find sleeping in usually means I’m going to have a lazy day. I truly believe that how I wake up has a massive impact on the type of day I’m going to have. When I haven’t slept well, my day tends to be lazy and I end up doing things haphazardly.

Exercise. My exercise of choice is yoga but sometimes if I’m not in the mood for a full practice I’ll do a few stretches just to loosen my body. Sometimes I walk the dog. This step can take up to an hour of my day but I feel that I have so much more time in my day when I’ve exercises – almost like the hours have slowed down slightly.

Have a meal you look forward to eating. I love breakfast even though during the week I tend to skip it but I love nothing better than getting up early, exercising and then having poached eggs with avocado on toast. Not only is it delicious but its nutritious and unlikely to leave me feeling bloated and yuck.

To-do lists. I love to-do lists. I love crossing things off that I’ve accomplished. I get lazy if I don’t have one and it helps to see what you want to achieve before starting.

Prioritise your tasks. I find doing the task I least want to do first the best way to approach my day because once it’s done, I can cross it off and (hopefully) not think about it again.

Dress appropriately. This can mean getting back into gym gear, or dressing up in a suit but choose clothing that reflects what your day will look like. This will inspire you to actually complete your tasks.

The point is, come up with options that will work for you. These are simply things that work for me but there’s no reason why you can’t find ways to work for you.